Why Did God Create Anything At All?

This is a question I received and my response.

QUESTION-

Why did God create anything? By creating something apart from Himself that can sin, aka humanity, is He not making reality worse? If God is making reality better by introducing humans into a relationship with Him, this also brings up issues. How can making humans make reality better if reality was just God in His perfection? If it is going to be better then would not have humans been necessary within God's being? I can see one possibility: that the creation of humanity is a neutral act when it comes to better or worse. This seems weird then that God would limit non-essential aspects of His being (entering time) to slide sideways on the scale of better or worse reality. I know my thinking is wrong somewhere, but I need someone else to show me. Thanks

RESPONSE-

We love to hear from people who are thinking about these questions! You said, "I know my thinking is wrong somewhere..."  I think we can help! The problem seems to be in your underlying definition of "reality" and the ensuing confusion of that with God.  Let's explore that a little more and hopefully it will help clarify your thinking on this issue.

Your opening question is great! Your second question: "By creating something apart from Himself that can sin, aka humanity, is He not making reality worse?"   Here is where I think the confusion creeps in. Your question seems to confuse reality with God as you ask the question, "...is He not making reality worse?" I say that because the rest of your letter struggles with why would he do that when he, himself is perfect. You ask, "How can making humans make reality better if reality was just God in His perfection?"

The clarification I think you are seeking is this. The reality of God alone, before he created anything apart from himself is just that, God alone. There is no "other". When God creates, he brings into existence something other than himself. So, while he, himself is perfect, that which he brings into existence apart from himself is not perfect in the same sense that he is perfect. Indeed, in Genesis 1 God declares that what he created is "good". That in no way implies perfection in the absolute sense that God alone is perfect. Therefore, there is no logical or theological issue in saying that God chose to create another reality, apart from himself, and that reality is "improved" by introducing humans. Why is it improved? Because humans are created in God's image and thereby reveal his glory in this new reality. I don't think there is any reason or need to evaluate whether or not the new "total reality", i.e. God + his creation is "better" than God alone. However, the answer would be that the newly created reality is not "better", only different. God alone is perfection as you noted. When he creates he is not attempting to improve anything. He, in himself, is total perfection. He is creating something other than himself which cannot be perfect as he himself is perfect. But, the creation certainly can be "better" or "improved" by God introducing his image-bearers into that creation. The end result is a new reality that perfectly embodies God's will for his decision to create is necessarily perfect. Even though the created reality is not perfect in the same sense God is perfect, it is the result of his perfect will to create and includes the reflection of his perfect glory through his image-bearers.

In more technical terms, the clarification I am making is that of categories. In your original formulation, you were making a category mistake which basically means you were equating the category of the Divine reality with that of the created reality. Yet, they are completely different categories of things. The Divine reality is utterly unique and singular, there is nothing else in that same category. Created reality is completely different than the Divine reality, and it is not singular, for there are many examples of created things within that category.  Yet, there is only one example of the Divine reality, God himself.

So, in summary, God creates a completely different reality than himself. The created reality is good but not perfect and of a completely other kind of thing. The Divine reality is perfect and always will be perfect. The created reality could be said to have been improved when God chose to add humanity to it because humanity bears God's image and thus introduces reflections of his glory (the original of which is perfect) into the created reality. The new "total reality" (God+created reality) as a whole is not worse because the Divine reality remains perfect. His will to create was necessarily perfect, and thus the created reality, while in and of itself is not perfect in the same sense as the Divine reality, is a perfect expression of his creative will. Especially when considering the incarnation (God entering time) to redeem the creation through Christ, we can see the whole of the created reality as a perfect expression of his will - both to create *and* to redeem!

Hopefully, this helps to clarify. God bless, and keep asking such good questions!